Blue Planet, Limited Vision

It is, in fact, true that our planet is a blue planet. Sadly, despite being surrounded on all sides by the Pacific, despite the constant background noise provided by the ebb and flow of the ocean waves, despite the signs are all around me, it took me watching BBC’s “Blue Planet” to truly be in awe. Granted, I have ventured into the waters a few times and have seen some incredible things. Lagoon-side snorkeling near Ejit is filled with coral towers and a miasma of aquatic life. Enemanit offers even the most timid swimmers the opportunity to see a sunken fighter plane and not one but two sunken helicopters in addition to amazing snorkeling a few feet from the shore. I have had the pleasure, thanks to the generosity of the Curtis family, to go deep-sea fishing. While on the boat for the majority of a day we saw dolphins and flying fish and brought in two wahoo and a gigantic blue marlin. These have all been moments of awe where the underwater world became all too real and present for me.

Still, my time in and my reverence of the waters pales in comparison to what I thought it would be before coming to the RMI. I have distinct memories of telling people how I was going to come back a fishing/surfing/diving/snorkeling expert. Instead, I find fishing—while exciting when reeling in and landing a fish—boring. Surfing is nearly impossible here (unless you are a pro, some of whom I had occasion to meet), diving is terrifying, and snorkeling can be a chore of sorts. It seems that even though I ran away to the Pacific to get away from it all, try new things, and do as the proverbial Romans do, my American landlubber sentiments have prevailed. Why is that? It can't be that I do not have access. I have many ribelle friends here who do all of those aquatic activities all of the time. Perhaps its the fact that none of my students or my Marshallese associates do these things with regularity. It seems that the young people on Majuro are more interested in Americanized and urban activities than those activities that have helped to sustain their culture for years. As far as the Marshallese adults here I know, they too are wrapped up in their daily affairs. While they may take some time to go fishing, it is usually in the privacy of their own family or close group of friends. I do not mean to put the blame on others. I think with more initiative on my part I could be in the water everyday. However, that is not how I have oriented my days.

Still, every time I take a moment to look at the water, I am in awe of how blue that blue is; how varied and ornate yet profoundly simple; how perfectly present and unchangingly etherial. It is even more impressive when put into perspective with the rest of the world around it. The expanse of blue only serves to highlight the immensity of the sky. Clouds look as if they are painted onto a domed canvas. Stars, in their great number, remind me how infinitesimal I am. And the sunsets; there are no words. Melodious amalgamations of orange, red, and purple hues appear from under the water, peak from behind the cloud curtain, and stretch across the sky. The sunrises, though similarly beautiful, are much more gentle. As the world wakes up, warmth enters the colors of the sky and the ocean. I like to say that the water is so warm I would sleep in it if I couldn't drown. I had the pleasure of climbing up to the top of the water tower that is on the MIHS campus--the second highest point in the country--and seeing the entire island in 360 degrees. You could see both sides of the island, storms rolling in from the ocean side and the sun resting and waking in the lagoon, a thirty mile expanse brought into one field of vision--and everywhere, rich, rich blue.

John Irving so aptly states though the mouth of one of his characters in his novel "The Cider House Rules" that, "Living on land where you can occasionally see a long way provides the soul with a perspective of a beneficially expansive nature" (14). As I sat up on the water tower, looking out on what seemed like the entirety of the Pacific Ocean, I couldn't help but ask what lie beyond the horizon. I mean, I knew--maybe not what specific piece of land was in what direction--but it encouraged me, inspired me to want to explore the world further. To seek what was on the other side. It has always confused me that Marshallese people do not have this same sense of adventure or wonderment.

To be fair, I know it took an enormous sense of adventure for the ancient Marshallese people to hop on canoes and explore the ocean to find the other islands here, but now, my students have little interest in leaving Majuro. Regardless of the fact that tremendous resources are needed to get off the island (read: money), they do not seem all that interested. Some want to go to America, yes, but then return after college. They do not know what is on the other side of the horizon, and they don't seem to care. For a while I believed that the young people here were taking the ocean for granted. They too did not swim or indulge in the waters in the ways that I assumed islanders would. However, they feel at peace here, floating in the middle of the ocean on a small strip of land. The knowledge that in a few decades the island might not be here does not cause them too much worry. They are not leaving. Their ancestors survived for hundreds of years from the bounty of the waters, and people here still do today. They are attached to the land, attached to the water. I have heard so many juniors and seniors here say that they want to go to college somewhere outside of the RMI but that it has to be near an ocean. When I asked why they said that they could not imagine life without hearing the waves hit the shore. In fact, they struggle to sleep without it. It has become part of their lives, ingrained in their souls. Most assuredly it is I who is taking it for granted. While the vista from the water tower may have "[provided] my soul with a perspective of a beneficially expansive nature," the Marshallese soul's expansive nature bleeds into the community. They expand into each other, knowing that on this small strip of land each other is all they have--each other, and the ocean: giving and taking, nourishing and destroying, warming and cooling.

For the last few weeks I am here, I imagine my habits won't change much. I will get in the water a few more times and explore a few more things, but I know I will always be more impressed and engaged while I watch BBC's "Blue Planet." For the rest of my life I will be able to watch shows like that one and say "I've lived there! I've been in that water!" When really, I've barely touched the surface.

Until the next time,

Bar lo kom,

Andrew

New Quarter, New Projects

Even though the play is now nearly a month in the past, it is still profoundly affecting my experience here. Before the play, as a result of the February Slump, I had pretty much checked out from the RMI experience. I was frustrated with my students and their lack of responsiveness. I was finding my experience in Majuro to be repetitive and mundane. The play very much revitalized me and imbued energy back into the remaining months of my experience here.

The third term ended during the run of the play and I was not surprised to find that some of my top students did not perform as well as they had in the past. My students slacked much more this term and lacked the discipline that I attempted to hone over the previous two terms. However, my middle and lowest level students did improve slightly. I came to believe that despite my previous willingness to give up, there was some hope left.

I decided that I taught my students almost everything technical that I wanted to teach them and now wanted to work on projects that brought together all of the skills that we learned in a way that did not necessarily keep the skills learned at the forefront of the work but as foundation to other, more complex ideas. Inspired from the play and having seen the effect that it had on the MIHS students, I decided to put on a play myself in my 7th grade classes. I am in the process of preparing my students to put on J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan." Alex Huestis aptly called Majuro "Neverland" (she was specifically referring to Ejit, but I think the term can apply to Majuro as a whole). In many ways, I came on the DVTP program for a "Neverland" experience myself (Michael Jackson puns not intended--at all). I wanted to get "away from it all" before seeking a job in the US and I wanted to try out teaching kids thereby giving myself the chance to become a kid again by proxy. I figured what better way to end this experience than by passing on the same notion of "never having to grow up" and the effect that this country and the play had on me than by introducing my students to Peter Pan?

We first watched two film versions of the story, the live action one featuring Jeremy Sumpter from 2003 and the 1953 Disney animated version. I did this so that all of my students would understand the plot of the story come time to read the book. Inspired by Rafe Esquith's novel "Teach Like Your Hair is on Fire," I used the movie as a teachable moment, having the students identify protagonists, antagonists, supporting characters, and different elements of the story arc. I also had the students identify the differences between the two films. While at first the students did not seem all that interested in the play (especially since, tragically, no one in my homeroom came to see the play) after seeing the movies the students were extremely excited about playing the characters in the story. We have finished watching the movies as of last week and starting reading the story on Monday. I plan on switching between reading aloud, silent reading (where I will be helping my lowest students comprehend the text), and group reading (where all the groups will be of mixed abilities and my top students will take over in instructing and explaining the story to my other students). The plan is to get the story ready in three weeks and then start working on other elements of the play such as costumes, sets, props, and choreography (for the fights). It is my hope that by having the students participate in all of these elements of the production, they will gain confidence and will have their ability to think outside of the box and use their imagination increased.

In my writing class the project for this quarter is to write books. One of my favorite activities in elementary school was writing stories for the Young Authors program. To this day I still have my Young Authors books in our home library. My hope is by having the students create something of their own conception, they will not only learn to treasure their work but increase their appreciation for books and reading in general. This project has started out much more slowly. As a result of a lack of exposure, the students had a hard time coming up with imaginative topics for their stories. I realized that this was mostly likely because they had not read many different types of books. I spent this past week introducing my students to different types of books. I am having them write stories that match the types of stories that I am reading to them each day. I am a bit more worried about this project than the other but I have high hopes for the product.

The final effect that the MIHS play has had on me is that I was able to remember how very important the arts are to me. I have been singing/performing for most of my life. This year in the RMI has been the first time in 14 years that I have not been in a performance group. Being a part of the play made me realize how much I need the arts in my life and as a result, I will be continuing my work with Professor Garrod and "The Tempest" in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Professor Garrod does a similar project to his work here in BIH and asked me to come along with him before he departed the RMI. While he gave me about as much time to make the decision to come as he gave me to make the decision to come to the RMI, I figured that one choice had been good for me and that it would most likely that this new choice would be good too. Going to Bosnia will give me the opportunity to not only help educate a new group of youth but do it through the arts. We will be putting on the same play and I will be acting in the same capacity as Dan Moore '10 and John Around Him '12 as assistant director while in Bosnia. Thankfully the committment is only two months in the summer and will be much more focused on theater than teaching. So, while I am disappointed that I will not be home for the entirety of the summer (and that I will be heading out about 10 days after I return to the states) the opportunity is too good to pass up. Theater, travel, and teaching all wrapped up in another adventure!

Bar Lo Kom,

Andrew

Finally, The Play: "We are such stuff as dreams are made on."

After much anticipation, many hours or practice, lots of scrambling, and many iterations of "bloody hell" and "bugger," the Marshall Islands High School run of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" started three weeks ago, Tuesday, March 8th, and ended the Sunday before last, the 13th.

I am still exhausted from the run.

The play has been, without a doubt, the thing that I am most proud of since I have been here. While I am happy with my achievements with my students, I feel like there is always more work to be done, another student to catch up. With the play, I was able to help see a project from start to finish. There were many instances when the prospects of a good production looked grim, but the final product was stellar. "The Tempest" is Professor Garrod's seventh Shakespearian production at Marshall Islands High School, and, as Garrod himself said, most likely his most relevant. I will allow you to read up on the plot at your own leisure but the setting of the play being on an island and heavy themes of colonized-colonizer make the play echo volumes in the RMI. Initially, I was double cast as Ariel, Prospero's (the lead) fairy servant with another MIHS student named Heron Ante. However, due to family complications and other obligations, Heron was not able to participate in the play and at the juncture when he dropped out, it was too late to recast the role. While at first I was uncomfortable being cast in not only a high school production but a production for a school in which I did not teach, I was informed that the true purpose of my casting was to set an example of dedication and passion on the stage. Garrod also wanted to juxtapose the Marshallese characters with myself and Jonathan Marable '08, a third year returning DVTP teacher who teaches at MIHS. We are both African-American, and Garrod wanted to put American characters in the roles of the spirit servants (John was double cast in the role of Caliban, the unruly monster servant) to create some kind of racial dichotomy while keeping the skin palette dark. I thought that both reasons for my casting were intriguing and noble and so I gladly took on the role.

To be perfectly honest, the play was a huge chafe at first. Garrod, understandably, required a lot of time from his actors, particularly since the play was being put on in such a short amount of time. I was fortunate enough to be cast in a role that was in most scenes in the play, so when specific scenes were called and some actors had the day off, i almost always had to be present. Since the rehearsals ran from 3:45 until near 6 pm every night, I had little time before cooking dinner to do what I needed to do for the day. By the time dinner was over, I was too exhausted to do things that I needed to do for myself (such as look for a job). Another difficulty was the fact that 80% of the play was translated into Marshallese. While this was great news for the students and the Marshallese audience, it was a formidable challenge for me since I had to learn a tremendous amount of Marshallese. Luckily, I had learned the pronunciations of the Marshallese alphabet from my students, so I was able to read through my lines with some level of decency, but learning them was difficult since I did not know all the intricacies of the language, and, for the most part, I was memorizing sounds and not words. To learn a small portion of Marshallese, I had to dedicate days at a time to repetition, whereas the English lines I could learn in a matter of hours.

In addition to acting in the play, I was given the role of associate director, giving counsel to the students as someone who had acted in plays and been in performances for most of my life. It was nice to use the things that I had learned from phenomenal past theater directors--Chiara Klein '10, Josh Feder '08, Michelle Shankar '12--and my Chicago Children's Choir directors--Josephine Lee and Christina Hatherly--to help teach the students how to have presence on stage. Many of the oldest tricks, such as mouthing "watermelon cantaloupe" on stage to make it look like you are talking in silence when you are not the focus of attention on stage, were extremely useful and new to the production and actors in the RMI. Helping direct was definitely a challenge because it took a lot of prompting to get the students to understand their roles as people they needed to embody in thought, word, and deed. They needed to understand motivations in each scene and needed to relate the emotions necessary in each scene to events in their own lives. Another challenge was commitment. The play required diligence that is not required of many of the students in their other activities. Professor Garrod required promptness and vigilant dedication. It was a challenge for the students to remain committed to the times and dates that they promised to so scene work. Many times we had to call actors or fish them from their homes because they forgot or they "were sleeping." This, in addition to a lack of commitment to learning lines immediately, put stressors on the play that were not predictable.

Despite the challenges, the play really came together (as all productions seem to) in the last week or so. When we started rehearsing the play in halves so that the actors could see the production coming together and, as the stage was constructed, excitement built and the students became more and more enthusiastic. Getting the play together at the end was a huge collaborative effort, or, as Garrod so aptly coined, "a miracle of coordination." The stage was built from materials used last year but the backdrop was newly painted by a MIHS student, Helmar Antiok (who also created the awesome t-shirt design). The lighting and sound was all engineered by Peter Satoris '11, who came to help a few weeks after the undergrads arrived. The light board was manned by Max Niedenthal, a 7th grader from a private school in Majuro called Co-Op. Costumes were reused from last year but some new ones, such as mine and Prospero's, were made and organized by Mona Strauss and Biriam Stege. Other member of the MIHS and Majuro community played their part as well, and when opening day came we were ready.

Each day of the play, I went whoever was playing Caliban that day (Jonathan Marable or John Riklon) to John Alefaio's tattoo parlor. He volunteered to draw native Marshallese tattoos on my chest and back each day with permanent marker. He also drew something menacing and monstrous on Caliban each day. I really enjoyed this time hanging out with him in his parlor and learning about tattooing. He is an incredible artist and it was nice to watch him do (a form of) his craft. Afterwards, myself and the Caliban-for-the-day would head to the MIHS library, which, during the production, served as the make-up, costume, and waiting room. There I helped harangue incoming actors and actresses to get into their costumes and directed them to Mandy, Rosa, and Kestrel for make-up. Everyday the boys would refuse to get make-up on. They were afraid that it would make them "look like a girl." They had to put the make-up on so that their physical features would not be washed out by the stage lights and though we explained this to them constantly, they still fought vehemently. It was to no avail since they were made to do it anyway.

Finally, the show started. The first performance went off perfectly, except for the fact that right as we were about to start the second half of the performance, it started to rain. The play was on an open air stage, which very much added to the atmosphere of the show, however, it made performing when it was raining difficult for safety reasons. Finally, the rain started to abate. Unfortunately, the fates were against us because when we were ready to begin, the power went out. We thanked the audience and told them to return for the next showings. The only other performance impediment we had was on Friday, where it rained so much that the audience seating was flooded. We moved the performance to Sunday, and were able to draw crowds so large that that you could not see the ground for the last three days of our show.

As these things tend to go, once the play started, it flew by. Once the stress of the first performance was over, each show went by quicker and quicker. Some of my personal highlights were all of the Trinculo, Stephano, and Caliban scenes which were expertly performed by Kamie Mackphie, Walthy Robert Jr., and John Rikon/Jonathan Marable. In these scenes, the characters are drunken, bumbling idiots, who are attempting to take over the island from Prospero. The audience loved these scenes the most and laughed uproariously every time the three entered the stage. I loved the chemistry between Ferdinand--played by Selvenious Marvin--and Miranda--double cast as Maria John and Wanda Bobo. All three actors carried their parts so well that it seemed as if they truly were in love. Prospero, played by Bate Dismas, was also incredible. Not only did he have the bulk of the lines in the play but his presence carried the entire show. I personally loved my costume as well. The wings in addition to the tattoos made me feel as if I was really signifying the archetype of a native figure. Consequently, in my portrayal of Ariel, a character who is bonded in servitude to Prospero, I did my best to portray the plight of any maligned conquered figure present throughout history--be it Marshallese or African--who is struggling to achieve his or her freedom.

While I was skeptical of the success and purpose of the play, as the production progressed, I saw how important something of this nature was to a place like the RMI. One could argue that it is even more culturally oppressive to put on a Shakespearian, Western canonical production in the Pacific. At its core, the DVTP and WT volunteers are here to teach the Marshallese so that they can get a better grasp on the English language that will enable them to be a player in global politics and so that the Marshallese people are able to access other resources that are not available to them in Marshallese. I believe that bringing such fine and globally appreciated art to the RMI brings the Marshallese people closer to a stronger world view and understanding. I believe that while it would be great for MIHS to put on a Marshallese play that to understand theater one must indulge in the works of the Bard whose work is so prolific and has withstood the test of time because of its universality. And, I believe that the most important thing about a production such as this is that not only are students able to learn about theater, Shakespeare, English, and the world outside of the RMI, they are also able to give that knowledge and experience to their community. I have never seen young children in America running around quoting lines from Shakespeare or even able to tell me the plot of one of his plays. Here, toddlers call me "Ariel" and recite my lines to me on a daily basis. The effect that the play has on the players in the production is tremendous. The changes are visible. Students come in lacking confidence, unable to find their voice in English or Marshallese. They come out with confidence, pride, and a willingness to take chances and make mistakes. It is no coincidence that the cast is full of leaders at MIHS, all of whom have been in previous productions. I do not know if it is that leaders are made from involvement in the play, those who are natural leaders are drawn to be in the production, or both, but there is definitely a relationship. My hope is that the students took something intellectual from the experience as well; that someone who was watching or in the play was made to consider the relationship that the conquered has with the conquerer or to even more simply consider what ownership and dominance really mean. While the moral of the play is that "The rarer action is in virtue than in vengeance" (5.1.28-29), I think that these are the themes that are the most important to the people here.

Jack Niedenthal, head of accounts for the Bikinian people, wrote a rave review in the play, saying that, "In my humble opinion,as a seasoned veteran of all sever of the MIHS/Youth Bridge Shakespeare plays over the years, this ["The Tempest"] was easily the best production." He complimented all involved parties and, flatteringly, he wrote that I, "was magic and made he play go beyond just a stage production. [...} This was the character who made us leave ourselves and soar, which to me is the mark of success for any talented actor or well-performed play: They make you feel as if you are literally not 'here' anymore." Not to toot my own horn, but I was very proud of the praise. (The review can be found in the Marshall Islands Journal, V. 42, No. 11, pgs. 16 and 17)

The interns and Garrod left the Monday after the last show. Their departure was overwhelming. It was combined with a cast party where the students sang, danced, and presented gifts to all of us. At the end, they put on a skit, mocking each of us (I was aptly teased for always twisting my hair). Each of the interns received a grand send off from their individual students as well. I am certain that they will always remember their time here and will not be soon forgotten.

I will never forget the first night of the production, crouching on stage in act 3 scene 2, lightly playing my tabor and listening to Caliban, played by John Riklon at the time, comforting Trinculo as he panicked as a result of the sounds and spirits on the island. Caliban states, in beautiful prose:

Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs that give delight and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears, and sometime voices
That, if I then had waked after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again. And then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me, that when I waked
I cried to dream again. (3.2.129-137)

During that recitation, as we performed under the night sky, I looked up at the stars, contemplated the fears that I had when I first came to Majuro that have now dissolved into part of the "thousand twangling instruments" of this isle, and realized that I had come to love this place like home.

Ten more weeks and I will wake up from the dream.

Bar lo kom,

Andrew

PS: For more information on Professor Garrod's organization, Youth Bridge Global, that puts on this production and productions elsewhere, please refer to their website: www.ybglobal.org

PSS: Many of you contacted me and expressed concern about the tsunami that came across the Pacific after the tragic earthquake in Japan. Everything here was fine and the wave passed over without so much as a ripple. Please keep the people of Japan in your prayers and best thoughts.

The Dreaded February Slump

From the very beginning of this experience, as early as orientation at the end of senior year, we were warned of the "February Slump." I was always confused about the idea. I had been away from home many times (though, granted, not for this long or this far away) and was not too worried about becoming homesick. I understood how one would feel homesick around the holidays and how one could be eager to return home as one neared the end of the experience, but the other traits of the February Slump-depression, exhaustion, disinterest-seemed aggressive to me.

But here we are, a week into March, and I can tell you that the February Slump is a real thing. In the middle of the month, I had a moment where I was moping around Majuro and I stopped and said out loud, "Oh my God, it's happening!" I think this slump is the result of the culmination of a lot of different things. February is a strange time of year regardless of the volunteer-experience-in-another-country thing. It is not the first month of the new year, and thus is not the first month of the new quarter, and as a result, the students have started to become a bit restless again. I reported before that my students had been behaving poorly, but their behavior became a HUGE problem during February. This was not just the case in my classroom, but in Mandy's class and, seemingly, the entirety of Majuro Middle School. My classroom management technique--diving the class into teams and giving or taking points based on achievement and behavior--did not phase the students at all. Mandy had the same failure with her own technique. Despite taking off 5, 10, or 50 points, the students continued to behave badly. The issues were simple ones. I kept repeating the same rules and expectations that I had had since the beginning of the year: do not talk when others are talking, stay in your seat, do not throw things across the classroom, respect school property. It was as if I had never given these rules. I began to send students to the office with little warning. I had a week that I termed my "mean week" where I took no nonsense. I stated my expectations and if they were broken students were sent to the office. I do not know how I was perceived by the office, but between Mandy and I, we kept them extremely busy.

Shipping kids off to the office frequently helped in the short run, but the effects were month long. I am sad to say that lost my motivation. While I recognized that I had taught my students a lot of information and that i loved every opportunity that I was given to impart knowledge to my students, I lost interest in teaching THESE students. While the classroom used to be fun, the teaching had become so routine that the classroom had become a big daycare, and I was the only babysitter. This was not what I wanted from this teaching experience, or any teaching experience, as much of a reality as it might be in schools all around the world. I had planned on starting my MMS acapella group this term, but the behavior made me not want to do anything extra for the students. To infuriate me further, I noticed that this behavior was specially reserved for me and that the students were veritable angels for their other, Marshallese, teachers. One day, at the peak of my frustration, I candidly asked the students, "Why do you act this way with me? Is it because I am a ribelle?" Some of them solemnly shook their heads, "Yes." At first I was extremely insulted and felt almost discriminated against by my students. Thankfully, Dan Moore '10 put the response into context for me. He reminded me that I had told him many times about the nature of some of the other Marshallese teachers, how their classrooms where based much more on route memorization and regurgitation and that there was little room for free thought and personal expression in their classes. He suggested that I take it as a sign of respect that they felt as if they could be themselves and be vocal in my class. I took this advice to heart but added that while I wanted to be able to provide a space where the students feel as if they can be themselves, I also want them to be able to be disciplined, since, I have learned, it is an important part of growing up.

During a conversation during 31 Club on Thursdays, I got to the heart of the problem. As I said, I am proud that my students have learned so much from me. But, after having been here for 8 months, I have learned that teaching life lessons, like discipline and respect, is more important than any academic lessons that I can teach. I am even more proud of the fact that the majority of my students now turn in their homework than they actually understand what their homework entails. It was my failure to imbue my students with these life lessons that depressed me about my classroom.

Another thing that made February somber was the departure of Joanna Dai, another one of my Bungalow housemates. She was also feeling the pressure of February, and because of some health inconsistencies and other frustrations, she decided to leave. Jokingly, Mandy and I said months ago that the dorm would end up just being us by the end of the experience, mostly based on the fact that we were the only two people that spent any time outside of our rooms together in the house. Unfortunately, our prediction came true. This was a big blow to the both of us, since the house was finally empty and was a clear sign of things coming to an end. Joanna will be dearly missed from our household.

All of these things, compounded with the growing commitment of the play, made the month of February extremely challenging. I found that each day I only had an hour or so to myself before having to do things for others. I talked to my parents at one point during this hysteria and said, "I don't know how you do this whole adult thing." Their smart rejoinder was, "Now think of doing this for 30 some years and add children." I was immediately apologetic for any trouble I had given them through the years!

While February was hard, it is now March, and things have definitely turned for the better. While my students are not behaving as ideally as I would like, they are behaving markedly better than they were before. The play, while still a large commitment, has come to a head (we had our first night last night, and it was amazing, despite not being able to perform the second half on account of the rain and, subsequently, a power outage) and has become wonderful again. And while the Joanna situation is still sad, having the undergrads here has been great distraction from the empty house (two of them are living in the dorm for the time being). Though, when they leave, Mandy and I will have to deal with being our only company--for real this time.

Bar lo kom,

Andrew

"Oh, you know, reading books, watching movies, drinking coconuts..."

I have been spending a lot of my "me time" over the past year reading and watching movies. So here is a list of the books that I have read and movies that I have seen for the first time while in the RMI, in no particular order (I feel like I am forgetting some...)

BOOKS

"1984" by George Orwell

I borrowed this classic novel from Alex Rivadeneira '10 and started reading it during orientation before finishing it during the beginning of the school year. I am a HUGE fan of "Brave New World" by Adolous Huxley and "1984" has been mentioned in almost every conversation I have ever had about "Brave New World" because of its similar in its dystopian futuristic depiction. While I can see the parallels on the surface, the similarities end there for me. While I enjoyed the classic, the book fell flat for me whereas "Brave New World" crescendoed to one of my favorite novel endings of all time. Maybe the drive to compare the two made me like "1984" less. I was disappointed by the choices made by the characters in the end and how those choices where presented. The journey to the end--the hiding from the Big Brother, following the thoughts of an individual trying to break from the mold, and the romance--were all engaging.

"A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry

This is the book that I have finished most recently. I have always wanted to read it since I saw my mother and sister reading it years ago. The cover, a small Indian child balancing on a pole precariously resting on an open palm, has always intrigued me. The book takes place between 1947 and 1977 in Mumbai and tells the story of 4 people, a homeowner turned tailor manager, her friend's son, who is a college student, and two tailors, an uncle and his nephew. You are given their backstories and then told how they learn to live together during a period that is historically coined as "The Emergency" period that is taking place in urban centers in India at the time. The book, compared to Dickens on the back cover, is very Dickensian (surprise) in its presentation of urban centers and deteriorating influence that the city has on people. The book ended very sadly; be prepared.

"Logicomix" by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos Papadimitriou

One of my favorite books that I have read here. It is a graphic novel that follows the professional and personal life of scholar Bertrand Russell as he pursues the foundational quest in mathematics. The comic, as many graphic novels do, takes on a fourth wall perspective as the four creators of the comic draw themselves into the book and discuss the presentation of the facts presented to them. This graphic novel gripped me despite my disdain for math. It presented highfalutin theories in a very approachable way and taught me a history that I knew nothing of.

"No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy

I was drawn to this book because I loved the movie. The movie was able to create incredible tension, to the point where I was grasping the arm rests for the majority of the film. The book, however, dragged. I enjoyed the simple, slow, yet loaded dialogue that helped to create aires of the western landscape and mindset, but the presentation of information that developed the plot was just as spacey and simple, leaving too many seeming holes in the progression of the book. Still, I highly encourage you to watch the movie!

"Cold Mountain" by Charles Fraizer

This book was also extremely slow. I read it every night before going to bed and it took me an extremely long time to get through it, however I enjoyed it. The book is about a man who gets injured and decides to desert his service in the Civil War and head back home to his love. His journey through the American landscape is juxtaposed with his lover's journey of discovery as she attempts to manage her land and make a place for herself as a single woman. The book did a good job of using slow placing to show the difficulty of his journey and her detachment. I would definitely suggest it for some good night time reading, as it was always able to put me to sleep (in a good way).

"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Jumpla Lahari is the best author I have discovered while in the RMI. Her first short story collection is full of stories that talk about first generation Indians in America, their parents, and the effect of trying to cling to a homeland and culture in a place that does not bend to the same norms. Her pacing is incredible and she is able to make simple, seemingly trite actions and words speak volumes. I am in the middle of reading her second short story collection, "Unaccustomed Earth" and am enjoying it just as tremendously. Check her out!

"Pillars of the Earth"/"World Without End" by Ken Follett

I also saw my mother and sister reading these books when they first came out and I was always intrigued by the concept. I love novels that delve into worlds that I know little to nothing about. Taking place in the Middle Ages, "The Pillars of the Earth" and "World Without End" center around the building of a cathedral and a bridge, respectively, by a monastery. Learning about building, monastic life, and the politics and the church and state make for incredibly engaging books. Mandy and I (who read both books here) have been watching the TV series which one of Mandy's friends sent her. I am not impressed with it, but, like the book, we can't seem to stop watching them.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

Another classic that I feel many people read in high school that I never had the opportunity to read. The book tells the story of the development of the a village through the eyes of Okonkwo and how introduction of Christianity starts to destroy the values that the main character stands for. The book also ends sadly, as evident rom the title.

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

I have also also wanted to read this book. I am infatuated with China and Japan and am complete sold on anything that allows me to learn more about life or culture there. The novel follows the life of Wang Lung and his family. He gets married at the beginning of the novel and has children but always tills his earth and stays close to the land. As the book progresses bad weather causes a drought and the family is forced to move to the city where they have moderate success as beggars. When Wang Lung returns to his land, he works even harder and begins to accumulate more and more property, eventually becoming a member of the upperclass. This change, which removes him from working on his earth, does not bode well for Wang and his family. I enjoyed this novel very much, though the writing was not extremely engaging.

"No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency" by Alexander McCall Smith

This book is the first in a series that was turned into an HBO show a few years back. It tells the story of exactly what the title says, ladies' detective agency in Botswana. The main character, Mma Precious Ramotswe, is clever and solves her cases with wit and bold action. Each chapter is a vignette of sorts and ends with a funny or poignant quip. It was a very quick read and I liked it a lot.

"The Hotel New Hampshire" by John Irving

John Irving is probably my favorite author. His ability to weave a web is unparalleled in my mind. I feel like I leave his books knowing everything there is to know about the characters he has created and the worlds they live in. I asked my mom to send me two of his more famous books that I had never read. This one and "The Cider House Rules," which I have yet to read. This novel was a bit disappointing. While I enjoyed it as I do all Irving novels, I was not as drawn into the narrative as I had been by his other books. The quirky family and their strange situation, running a hotel in New Hampshire and then in Vienna, was filled with highly improbable details taking away the realism that makes Irving books so strong and touching. I feel in part that Irving's purpose in this book was to show how no family is normal, that every member plays a role to a whole unit, and that no one's story makes complete sense, but I was not entirely buying it.

"A Widow for One Year" by John Irving

This was actually the second book I read in this country and I could not put it down. Many of Irving's books feature a writer and this book is no exception. It follows the story of a children's book illustrator and his wife who leave him after the wife has an affair with the husband's intern. The husband, who spends his time seducing and drawing women, is reluctantly forgiven by his daughter, who becomes the focus of the book for the latter two thirds. She ends up crossing paths with the boy intern years later who is now a book reviewer and writer. This story was John Irving as I love him, weaving a web that was seemingly disconnected and then bringing it back together in a touching way. A good choice.

"Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt

A short story, but engaging nevertheless. I think I would have liked it a lot more as a child since it presents the idea of living forever, something that all kids think about in their youth. As it were, the book was fairly predictable and did not really suit my fancy.

"To Teach: A Journey in Comics" by Bill Ayers

This is probably the best book that I have read while here. I was searching for it before I left for the RMI and my mother just happened to find it months later and send it to me without knowing I had been searching for it. A retelling of his earlier book, "To Teach," "To Teach: A Journey in Comics" pouts beautiful pundits about teaching--the joys, the struggles, and the goals. I found it very inspirational while i first read it and would suggest it to anyone who is planning on teaching.

"Little Bee" by Chris Cleave

This book grabbed me because of its description on the back, which reads something along the lines of "We can't tell you what this book is about because if we do we will ruin the magical journey you are going to go on. The power in the book is how it unfolds..." Of course, with a description like that I had to read it to see if it was, in fact, life-changing. I won't tell you what the book is about either (as the back of the book suggests) but the book has some of the better prose writing that I have encountered in a while. The ending, however, was disappointing. I would suggest picking it up if you are looking for a good read on a topic that you probably know little about.

"The Prophet" by Khalil Gibran

A gift to me from a good friend, Melissa Smith '11, for my graduation, "The Prophet" is a collection of prophetic revelations on subjects like work, children, and love by a prophet figure before he is going to leave the country that he is in. The book has some good and beautifully written advice on these topics. It is supposedly a huge classic, so if you are looking for some good proverbial reading, I would suggest picking it up.

~ "Life in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Marquez

I have been STRUGGLING to read this book for months now and have yet to finish it. I love magic and enjoy realism but the combination of the two with Marquez's verbose writing makes for an extremely boring novel. I have tired to read "One Hundred Years of Solitude" also but could not get through it. I am still trying since this book was recommended to me by Alex Huestis, but it has been an uphill battle.

~ "Surviving Paradise" by Peter Rudiak-Gould

"Surviving Paradise" is a novel that centers around the authors World Teach experience in the RMI on the outer island of Ujae (where there are now no WT or Dartmouth volunteers). I have been taking my time reading the book and have not yet finished it. I am doing my best to not give it too much credence as I create my own experience here, but I have enjoyed reading it as a means to get another perspective on the experience here. While I appreciate reading about outer island living (since, as a result of different locations, his experience is very different from mine) I wish the book had been written by a woman so that I could see what that experience is like. I am under the impression that become of cultural norms here, it is much more touch to be a western woman on an outer island that a man, since women are limited in what they are allowed to do.

FILMS

"Coraline"

EXTREMELY creep movie, however very well done. I am a sucker for animation and this movie was beautifully executed. I did have a dream about people with buttons on their eyes. You have been warned.

"Catch Me If You Can"

I am always reluctant to like a Leo film but after "Inception" and this one, I might be sold. "Catch Me If You Can" tells the true story of Frank Abagnale Jr, the original check conman, and how he managed to get away with millions of dollars through phony careers as a pilot, lawyer, and doctor before finally being caught. And all before the tender age of 19. Really well done and impressive. The guy now works as one of the foremost check fraud examiners in the world.

"Reefer Madness: The Musical"

I was every skeptical of this movie before watching it. I had never seen the original but I knew that it was supposed to be an outlandish disposition of marijuana from the late 1930s. I did not really understand how it would function as a musical, let alone a musical movie. However, I LOVED it. The music was varied and so much fun. I really hope to be in this show one day. The ending was strange and bloody (you just have to see it, my explanation would not do it justice) and was the only low point, but otherwise the movie was funny and fun.

"Monsters vs Aliens"

Another animated film I had never seen before coming here. I thought it was pretty funny. The voice acting, featuring the talents of Seth Rogan, Hugh Laurie, Kiefer Sutherland, Rainn Wilson, Paul Rudd, and Stephen Colbert, was great and the plot was awesome. The development of Suzan, the main character, voiced by Reese Witherspoon, was a bit forced, but the movie as a whole was pretty funny and the action was good.

"9" (Animated)

This dark film that takes place in a post-apocolopitc world was great. I won't tell you the secret of the movie, the audience follows these doll-esque characters as they try to survive in this world and find a solution to whatever went wrong. The animation and the action are enthralling.

"9" (The Musical)

I am a big fan of musicals. I was not a big fan of this one. It reminded me of 21, which I thought was confusing and disjointed. When the two best songs in a musical are by Penelope Cruz (who is beautiful) and Fergie (I mean, REALLY?!) you know you have not done your best work. Don't waste your time!

"Notorious"

I was very surprised that I liked this movie as much as I did. It was interesting to follow the life of such a famous rapper as B.I.G. and it is always interesting to see how artists are inspired to make their craft. The actor who played B.I.G., Jamal Woolard, did a phenomenal job. Definitely a must see for those who like rap/hip-hop/music.

"Meet the Robinsons"

An animated film that I really did not like (this is rare). It was extremely predictable, in that I knew who the bad guy was from the very beginning of the movie and I could see the "big twist" of the movie from a mile away. It was nonsensical and not funny. I would suggest avoiding this one as well.

We are a week away from the play (that + bad internet = no post last week) so get ready for a BIG blog about it!

3 more months to go!!!!

Bar lo kom,

Andrew

31 Club

My weeks in the RMI center around Thursdays. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday all have their charm (for example, not having to work) but Thursday is truly a special day. In fact, Mandy and I always say that if we can just make it past Wednesday then the week is basically over, since Thursdays are such a delight. The reason for this hysteria is that Thursday is the day of the "31 Club" potluck at The Magee residence. I have mentioned Yvonne, Craig, and Amethyst before but I figured it was time to give them their due respect for conceiving one of the best things that I have been a part of in the RMI.

I met Yvonne and her family at the Marshall Islands Resort during orientation. All of the new ribelle teachers on the island were invited to a teachers' night at the Resort where we were given free food, an open bar, and prizes. While we stood in line to get food, Yvonne placed herself near the table and started to welcome everyone. Even from a distance I could see her infectious zeal. When I finally approached her I was greeted with a big hug. I asked her how long she had been here and what she did at the resort and she looked at me like I was crazy: "I don't work at the resort, hunny. I am a teacher like you. I am just standing here greeting people because I like to meet people...and I wanted to be close to the food." It was friendship that was meant to be. Through further discussion I learned that she too was from Chicago and the bond tightened even further. She took me under her wing as her "other black child" on the island (in fact, many people think that she is my mother due to the fact that there are so few African-Americans here, and due to the fact that she tells everyone that she is my mother) and promptly invited me over for dinner. In a few weeks, she accrued a number of friends from her workplace--the College of the Marshall Islands--and started to have weekly potluck dinners that she held on Thursdays. After the first week, I invited the rest of my housemates to come and Mandy started to attend regularly as well. Over the 7 months that we have been here, the members of the 31 Club (so dubbed because I brought the card game "31" to the group (Mandy taught it to me) and the members of the club used to play it at every dinner) have increased exponentially. Yvonne and Craig say that anyone is welcome to their home and as the number of people has increased, so has the amount and variety of food! At the most populated dinners, 25 or so people have been in the Magee residence! I have had some delicious foods including desert wantons (filled with white chocolate and blueberries), stuffed peppers, tres leches cake, crab cakes, fried mushrooms, peanut butter/chocolate/oatmeal cookies, and sushi.

The meetings of the 31 Club center around revelry, food, and card games. While the event started with parties bringing whatever they wanted, the dinners soon became themed. We have had such dinner themes as seafood (I made lobster bisque), Italian (I made garlic bread with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes), finger food (mango salsa), Mexican (guacamole), soul food (macaroni and cheese), and, most recently, "the best of" (for which I made guacamole again). After dinner, some portion of the group plays cards. Mandy has introduced many games to the group, but the games usually center around 31 and Palace (brought to the group by DVTP undergraduate Rosa '11). Most recently we have been playing Mao--which I brought to the group--the most (if you don't know this game, look it up and then play it with people who don't know the rules; the point of the game is to figure out the rules). After the festivities are over at the house, some members of the group go to the Marshall Islands Resort for a nightcap. This is a nice way to wind down after an extremely social event and spend sometime with some other friends of ours who are usually at the Resort but not at dinner.

Thursdays have become my favorite part of my weekly routine. No matter how the week is going, the Magee family and friends are full of energy, positivity and so many laughs. I feel greatly indebted to them all and all of our 31 Club friends for the support, companionship, and DELICIOUS food they have given me while in the RMI.

In other news, the undergrads, Mandy, Alex Huestis, Eric Hahn, and I rented a golf cart and drove down to Laura beach this past Saturday. It was the perfect way to see all parts of the island.



Happy Valentines Day (Happy Birthday Grandma Alice!) and Bar lo Kom,

Andrew

And Now For Something Simple and Endearing...

Here are three of my favorite pieces of art from my students that I have accrued over my time teaching here in the RMI. For some reason, these are all from my 104 class, which is NOT my homeroom. Go figure. The picture of me was just for fun from one of my girls (pre-hair change, as you can see). The other two comic strips were for when we were learning about main ideas and supporting details and I asked the students two write stories using comics. As you can see in the strips, my boys are heavily concerned with me finding a girlfriend/wife. They have offered to "give" me to their sisters. I graciously declined.






Things have been pretty intense around here this past week. Keeping up with class, learning lines, trying to stay on my workout schedule, cooking, reading for pleasure, becoming newly obsessed with the show "Breaking Bad" (which is so good; Mandy and I literally sat down and watched the whole first season this past Saturday without meaning to do so), and trying to find a job (if you know anyone hiring in marketing, advertising, or law, let me know!) are not a good balance. Something has to give, but its the leisure stuff that is keeping me sane. I guess this is the balance that life requires that I was always told about. Oh well.

This past weekend I took the undergrads to Enemanit. I had not been since my birthday! It was an incredibly enjoyable experience, as always. There were also two new helicopters that had been sunk by the island that Dan Moore and I were able to check out.

See you next week!

Bar lo kom,

Andrew